14 



The presence of any Insects in any formation shews that 

 there must have been animals which preyed upon them, 

 remains of which have been discovered in the Oolites, 

 including therein the Purbecks, where we have Insectivorous 

 Mammals, and though no indication of this high class has 

 yet been detected in the Lias, their occurrence is known 

 in the Rhoetic series, between the Lias and the Trias, and 

 no doubt their remains will some day under favourable con- 

 ditions be discovered. Relics of birds * have been foimd in 

 the Tertiary fonnations in France, in strata where Insects 

 are met with, and though doubtful in the English "Wealden, 

 a remarkable bird with a long vertebrated tail, the Archaeop- 

 teryx, (now in the the British Museum,) was obtained from 

 the Upper Oolitic limestone used for lithography, at Solen- 

 hofen, in Germany, which has long been noted for its 

 fossil Insects, the best of which may be seen in the fine 

 collection at Munich, and the Woodwardian Museum at 

 Cambridge. 



As a ride, the Solenhofen annulose animals are of large 

 size, larger than the majority either in the Purbecks or Lias, 

 and in the former this is particularly to be noticed in the 

 dragon flies and locusts. Dr. Hagen states that 150 

 Neuroptera have been determined. One half (he says,) of 

 all the Insects consist of Orthoptera, adding to these the 

 numerous Locustoe and Elattidce. In the Munich collection, 

 he observes that one thu-d consist of Libellulce, another 

 third of Orthoptera and Hemiptera, (some of which are 



• Bones of birds are stated by Mr. SeeleytooccurintheOreen Sand of Cambridge- 

 See paper on the Chloritic Marl of Cambridgeshire, by Eev. T. G. Bonney, F. G. S., 

 Fellow of St. John's, in the proceedings of the Geolog"ists Association, Vol. 3, No. 1. 

 A fossil bird possessing remarkable anatomical characters has tieeu recently 

 discovered in Cretaceous rocks in America, having biconcave vertebroe, and well 

 developed teeth in both jaws. 



Professor Owen at the June (1873) Meeting of the Geological Society, describes 

 the skull of a dentigeroua bird, from the London Clay, Sheppy. 



